Chapter 57 : Empress (3)

I feel okay, but bad.

If I were to summarize Ayla’s mood, that contradictory sentence would be it.

First of all, choosing new clothes wasn’t as bad as I thought.

Since it’s a store where the wealthiest people in the count’s domain shop, the fabric was soft, and the colors were vivid.

I have no idea what kind of dye they use.

To be honest, Ayla never really thought much about the clothes she had worn until now.

That doesn’t mean she liked them.

If she had to wear dresses that exposed so much skin in front of men, she honestly wouldn’t have felt comfortable.

That’s probably why Luna made sure all the servants were women.

There was one man in the mansion, but since he was a shadow—meaning the coachman that Lady Bluewood had brought—Ayla hardly ever saw him.

She thought this was also Luna’s consideration.

But even though she never thought about it much, it was somewhat uncomfortable.

Even in front of women, if she leaned forward, the cleavage was quite visible, and the back of the dress was often unnecessarily low-cut, making it a bit embarrassing to show her back.

She could at least somewhat cover it with her hair.

Ayla had always thought that it was a relief that the count was dead.

The mere thought of having to wear such clothing in front of that old man and be expected to embrace him whenever he wanted was unbearable.

“How is it?”

“……It’s pretty.”

In the end, that was how Ayla answered Luna’s question.

At first, Luna mainly brought blue dresses.

But soon, she started bringing dresses with black backgrounds adorned with jewels that sparkled like stars, or light, refreshing-colored outfits.

And just as Luna had assured her, all of them suited Ayla perfectly.

So, she felt good.

Even in her early years, when Ayla was free, she never cared much about clothing.

After all, wearing elaborate clothes while wielding a sword was just inconvenient.

But now—

“It suits you well.”

It suits her.

Even more than when she was forced to wear the dresses the baron bought.

Most frustrating of all, she didn’t feel particularly bad knowing that Luna had picked them out for her.

She wanted to complain.

She wanted to find a flaw and point it out.

But she couldn’t.

“Seila, what do you think?”

Luna asked Seila, who had entered the same room.

Seila, who had sat with a sullen expression, waiting for her turn, now had her mouth slightly open as she looked up at her stepmother.

“W-well, not exactly…”

Seila wasn’t good at lying.

Seeing her struggle to give a compliment, Ayla smirked.

Luna bent down beside Seila and whispered something in her ear.

The atmosphere between them was warm and familiar.

Even Luna, who usually carried a subtle wariness, lowered her guard around a child like Seila.

It made sense.

Even if another noble lady of the same age was present, Luna wouldn’t act this way with them.

So even though Ayla tried to stay close, was Seila just easier to be around?

Well, a pure-hearted child was probably preferable to a master who could choke her with a command.

“I see! That’s true!”

Whatever Luna had said, Seila’s eyes sparkled as she answered.

Then, looking at Ayla, she tried to put on a dignified expression and said,

“Well, I suppose it does suit you.”

Ayla smirked again.

“Thanks for the compliment.”

And she replied with sincerity.

Seila blinked.

Seeing her staring blankly up at Ayla was amusing, so Ayla quickly turned away.

“A kind person should be able to fully acknowledge another’s strengths.”

That was what I whispered.

In the novels Seila read, the protagonists always recognized and praised others when they did something well.

Of course, not all novels were like that, but it seemed to be the type of character Seila admired.

Because of my words, Seila ended up complimenting Ayla, and Ayla, smiling brightly, accepted her words.

And then, both of them suddenly became awkward at the same time.

After Ayla finished picking out her clothes, they moved on to choosing Seila’s.

She was still a growing girl.

The clothes the count had bought just before his death still fit, but they wouldn’t for much longer.

Naturally, a list for Seila had also been prepared, and Ayla complimented her without hesitation.

Seila blushed but lifted her chin and said, “Thank you, madam.”

The store employees had to turn away to hide their laughter.

Just as they were about to leave the store—

“Wait.”

Ayla suddenly grabbed my wrist.

I flinched in surprise.

If I were still a man, this wouldn’t have happened.

I had been much stronger and taller than Ayla back then.

If I swung my arm, Ayla would have been the one pulled toward me.

Her hand was soft, but her grip was strong—enough to cause a slight pain in my wrist.

Even if I tried to move forward, Ayla wouldn’t budge.

If she pulled me instead, I’d end up collapsing right into her arms.

Realizing this, Ayla quickly let go of my wrist.

“Ayla, do you need anything else?”

“Ah, um.”

Ayla, staring at her hand for a moment, blinked and cleared her throat.

“Yes, I do. Something from this store.”

“Perhaps comfortable undergarments…?”

“No, not undergarments.”

I had said it to fluster her, but Ayla immediately and firmly dismissed the idea.

“Rather, come in. I think I saw it over here.”

The staff, who had been about to lead us outside, quickly followed beside us again.

“Yes, here.”

“Are you perhaps talking about a maid’s uniform?”

“That’s right. A maid outfit.

Luna, you’re using the maid outfit you brought, aren’t you?

It’s not something I chose at all, is it?”

“That’s correct.”

I answered carefully, observing Ayla’s expression.

“I wanted to pick something for you in return for all the effort you’ve put in for me.

Actually, not just one, but several.

The more outfits you have for work, the better, right?”

I feel uneasy for some reason.

A maid outfit—well, strictly speaking, there isn’t really a specific ‘maid outfit.’

Usually, it’s just a simple black dress with a white apron.

But if you think about it, that means the design and color can change depending on the wearer.

In fact, it’s not a bad outfit even for housewives to wear,

so high-quality ones sold in places like this are often worn by wealthy commoners or the wives of lower nobility.

I suddenly noticed that the skirts of the maid outfits became shorter the further we went inside.

“Ayla?”

“Oh, here it is.”

Ayla pulled out one of the dresses hanging inside.

It was a dress so short that it barely covered the upper thighs—

calling it a ‘dress’ at all felt almost ridiculous.

“I knew it.

Considering the countless dresses in my wardrobe, it was only natural that something like this would be here.”

“Is this… a top, perhaps?”

I asked the employee.

“Of course not.”

But before the employee could answer, Ayla replied first.

“This was designed for this exact purpose.

How convenient is it?

There’s nothing to get in the way of your legs at all.”

Of course.

By that logic, humans would be most comfortable without any clothes at all.

“You can move quite vigorously in it without any discomfort.”

I’m not entirely sure what she means by ‘move vigorously.’

“This one.

Adjust it to fit Luna’s body properly.”

“Understood, madam.”

Ayla casually handed the outfit to the employee, who received it politely.

Then, the employee gave me a look of pity.

Rumors say that some men desire other men, and some women desire other women.

Of course, just because a woman makes another woman wear embarrassing clothes doesn’t mean she must be attracted to her.

Rather, in most cases, people assume it’s done simply to torment someone they dislike.

Forcing someone to wear a specialized outfit like this under the guise of a ‘maid outfit’ is purely for humiliation.

In reality, Ayla just wants to mess with me in any way she can.

I’ve done plenty of things to deserve it, so I can’t exactly refuse.

“……?”

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Sayla seems to have no idea what Ayla’s choice of outfit implies.

Even if she had read books with such themes, maybe they didn’t go into detailed descriptions of the clothing.

“Come this way.”

The employee called me.

Ayla was already waiting for me in front of the room she had come out of earlier.

“Ayla, what about Sayla? Shouldn’t she be with another servant—”

“Oh, right. That’s true.”

When I mentioned it, Ayla’s expression shifted as if she had just remembered.

“Huh? But I…”

“There’s a pastry shop up ahead that sells delicious desserts.

Would you wait there for a bit with Helena?”

“Okay!”

A child is just a child, after all.

Yes.

There are things that children don’t need to know.

After Sayla left, Ayla burst into laughter, looking quite pleased as she ordered the dress along with the other clothes.

It will probably arrive at the mansion in a few days.

—If that outfit had truly been purchased for ‘those’ kinds of purposes, I might have actually been looking forward to it instead.